Air-conditioner air flow control device



J1me 1969 c. E. RING ETAL 3,

AIR-CONDITIONER AIR FLOW CONTROL DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1967 3 x2 F'lG.2

--x INVENTORS CLINTON E. same RAYMOND E. LOYD THE\R A TORMEY UnitedStates Patent US. CI. 98-40 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE -An airconditioner including an air flow control device comprising a framedefining an air outlet and a plurality of adjustable louvers mounted onthe frame for controlling the directional distribution of air from theoutlet. At least some of the louvers are movable to a positionsubstantially closing a portion of the outlet to provide a highervelocity air flow from the remaining portion of the outlet.

Background of the invention Air-conditioning units of the type normallymounted in a window or other wall opening are usually provided withadjustable air distributing means intended to provide the selection ofan air flow pattern which will best meet the requirements of anenclosure or the specific desires of the used. Many of the knownadjustable air deflectors permit the discharged air to be focused in anarrow pattern in any of a plurality of directions or fanned out over arelatively wide angle. Also such air-conditioning units have normallybeen provided with air circulating fan means operable either at a lowspeed for normal condi tioning requirements or at a high speed foreffecting flow of the conditioned air to more remote areas of an enclosure. However, as operation at a high fan speed results in a higher fannoise level many users, preferring the quieter operation of the fan atlower speeds, are inclined to forego the remote area cooling advantagesof high speed fan operation.

Summary of the invention The present invention is directed to theprovision of an air-conditioning unit including improved air flowcontrol device for selectively controlling both the angular distributionof conditioned air and the flow velocity of the conditioned airdischarged from the unit at any given fan speed.

More specifically, it is directed to the provision of anair-conditioning unit including improved air discharge or outlet meansfor selectively providing an increased discharge air velocity and thrustwithout incerasing the fan noise level.

These and additional advantages, which will become apparent from thedetailed description of the invention, are attained in the illustartedembodiment of the invention, by means of an improved air flow controldevice including an air outlet comprising a plurality of adjustablelouvers for selectively controlling both the vertical and horizontaldistribution patterns of conditioned air and in which at least some ofthe louvers, preferably a group of adjacent louvers, are also movable toa position in which they close a portion of the air outlet whereby theconditioned air is discharged through the remaining portion of the airoutlet at a higher velocity without changing the speed or noise level ofthe air circulating fan means.

Brief descriptio of the drawing In the accompanying drawing: FIGURE -1is a perspective view of a portion of a room air-conditioning unitincorporating the improved air flow control means of the presentinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1illustrating the normal or low velocity air setting of the adjustablelouvers;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken generally along lines 3-4: of FIGURE1; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the setting ofthe velocity control louvers in their high velocity positions.

Description of the preferred embodiments With reference to FIGURE 1 ofthe drawing there is illustrated a room air conditioning unit comprisinga casing '1 designed to contain the usual components of an airconditioning system including a fan 2 for circulating enclosure air overthe evaporator component (not shown) of an refrigeration systemcontained within the casing 1. The front or room side of the casing 1 isprovided with a front panel or grille 3 including a louvered air inletsection 4 in front of the fan 2 and an air discharge or outlet portiongenerally indicated by the numeral 5 through which the conditioned airis discharged into the enclosure. The grille also includes a controlpanel section 6 on which are mounted the usual refrigeration system andfan controls.

The air discharge opening or outlet 5, of a generally rectangularconfiguration, is defined by opposed side walls 11 and 12, a top wallr14, and a bottom wall 15. These four walls provide the principalsupports for a plurality of adjustable louvers or vanes designed toprovide selective control of both the vertical and horizontaldistribution of air flowing through the outlet 5.

For the control of the vertical distribution of conditioned air issuingfrom the outlet 5, there is provided a front set of spaced, parallel,horizontally extending louvers 16 having their ends pivotally supportedon the side walls 11 and '12. These louvers 16 are arranged from the topto the bottom of the air outlet '5 and are designed to be adjustedthrough a limited vertical angle above and below a horizontal positionfor the purpose of deflecting the conditioned air upwardly, horizontallyor downwardly in accordance with the space requirements or the usersdesire. Preferably, the set of louvers 16 is divided into upper andlower groups with the louvers in each group being inter-connected bymeans (not shown) for the collective movement thereof. By thisarrangement, the upper group can be angled upwardly and the lower groupslanted downwardly to provide the widest vertical angle distribution ofthe conditioned air. Projections 17 and 18 on one of the louvers in eachgroup may be provided as finger grips for manual operation of thelouvers.

Both the horizontal distribution pattern for the conditioned air and thecontrol of the velocity of the air stream issuing from the outlet 5 areobtained by a rear set of vertically extending louvers shown in FIGURES2 and 4 of the drawing. In accordance with the present invention, thisrear set of louvers includes a first group generally indicated by thenumeral 19 pivotally mounted in spaced parallel relationship over aboutone-half of the area of the outlet 5 and a second independently operatedgroup 20 similarly positioned over the remaining portion of the airoutlet.

The set of louvers 19 is preferably divided into upper and lower banks21 and 22 as indicated in FIGURE 1 of the drawing. The louvers of theupper bank are pivotally supported at their upper and lower ends on theside wall 14 and a cross bar 23 extending across the outlet 5 at aboutthe midsection thereof. These louvers like the louvers 16 of the frontset are connected for collective movement thereof to direct horizontallythe air passing through them to either one side or the other of theunit. More specifically, as shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing, thelouvers of group 21 are pivotally supported along axes adjacent theirrear edges by pivot supports 24 and have their forward edgesinterconnected by extending into cooperating slots in an actuator bar25. The bar 25 also includes a control knob 26 extending through andriding in a slot 27 in the upper wall 14 of the grille. The lowerlouvers 22 are similarly interconnected and controlled by an actuatorincluding a control knob 28 extending through a slot in the lower wallor bottom wall 15.

The louvers 20 constituting the second group of rear louvers are alsopivotally supported in horizontal spaced relationship and in theillustrated embodiment of the invention extends the full height of theopening or outlet so that they are pivotally supported at the ends onthe top wall 14 and bottom wall of the frame. While the horizontallouvers 16 and the vertical louvers 19 discussed hereinbefore aremounted for only a limited angular displacement or adjustment to avoidany substantial change in the air flow therethrough, the louvers aredesigned to be adjusted between an open position illustrated in FIGURE 2of the drawing and a closed position illustrated in FIGURE 4.

To this end, each of the louvers 20 is provided with an arm 30 extendingrearwardly from the rear edge thereof and each of these arms 30 have avertical extending pin portion 31 adapted to be received in one of theslots 32 of a member 33 for collectively moving the louvers 20 betweentheir limiting operating positions. The member 33 is connected through alink 34 to an arm 35 of a control member 36 rotatably mounted in thecontrol panel portion 6 of the front panel 3. By rotation of the control36, the louvers 20 can be collectively moved between the open positionillustrated in FIGURE 2 of the drawing in which air freely passesbetween the spaced louvers to a closed position as illustrated in FIGURE4 of the drawing in which their edges are in overlapping relationshipthereby elfectively preventing the flow of conditioned air through thatportion of the outlet 5 in which the louvers 20 are disposed.

When the louvers 20 are in their open position as illustrated in FIGURE2 of the drawing, there is a substantially unrestricted flow of airthrough the entire area of the outlet 5 at a velocity determined by thespeed at which the fan 2 is operating. Movement of the louvers 20 totheir closed position as illustrated in FIGURE 4 of the drawingsubstantially decreases the effective air flow area of the outlet 5 tothe area represented by the louvers 20. This decrease in the airdischarge area of the outlet by increasing the velocity of the airflowing through the outlet 5 increases the thrust of this air stream. Inother words, the restricted discharge area focuses the horizontal airpattern to that determined by the setting of the louvers 19 and alsoprovides a higher velocity air stream for the purpose of projecting theconditioned air a greater distance from the air-conditioning unit. Thusconditioned air can be projected to the more remote portions of theenclosure served by the airconditioning unit without changing the speedof the fan 2. Thus there is provided a greater flexibility of design andapplication of the air-conditioning unit for either low thrust and lownoise level operation for normal room patterns or a high thrustoperation for serving unusual enclosure shapes or arrangements. Theincrease in the thrust or projection of the conditioned air can beobtained at either low or high fan speeds. Of course, maximum thrust orprojection of the conditioned air is obtained when the louvers 20 are intheir closed position and the fan 2 is operated at its highest speed.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. In an air conditioner for supplying conditioned air to an enclosure,

frame means defining an air outlet for all of the conditioned airsupplied to said enclosure,

a first set of parallel louvers pivotally mounted on said frame meansfor controlling the angular distribution of air from said outlet in oneplane,

a second set of parallel louvers pivotally mounted on said frame meansand disposed at an angle relative to the louvers of said first set, saidsecond set including a first group for controlling only the angulardistribution of air from said outlet in a second plane,

said second set including a second group of louvers movable from an openposition .to a position substantially closing a portion of said airoutlet to provide a higher velocity of air flow from the remainingportion of said outlet to project the air flowing from said outlet agreater distance from said outlet.

2. The conditioner of claim 1 in which said first set of louvers arehorizontally mounted on said frame means.

3. The conditioner of claim 2 in which said second set of louvers arevertically mounted behind said first set.

4. In an air conditioner for supplying conditioned air to an enclosure,

a rectangular frame defining an air outlet for all of the conditionedair supplied to said enclosure,

a front set of parallel horizontal louvers pivotally mounted on saidframe for adjustment through a limited vertical angle to vary only thevertical distribution of air discharged through said outlet,

a rear set of parallel vertical louvers pivotally mounted on said frame,

said rear set including a first group of adjacent louvers movablethrough a limited horizontal angle for directing the horizontaldistribution of air discharged through said outlet without substantiallychanging the air flow therethrough,

said rear set including a second group of interconnected adjacentlouvers movable between an open position permitting the substantiallyunrestricted flow of air through said second group of louvers and aclosed position in which the flow of air through said air outlet issubstantially restricted to the portion of said air outlet includingsaid first group of louvers thereby increasing the velocity of the airflowing through said air outlet to project the air a greater distancefrom said outlet.

5. The air conditioner of claim 4 in which said front set of louvers aredivided into upper and lower groups of interconnected louvers.

6. The conditioner of claim 4 in which said frame is part of a frontgrille for said air conditioner, said grille including an air inlet foradmitting enclosure air to said conditioner.

7. The conditioner of claim 4 in which said second group of louvers arearranged to close about one-half of said air outlet.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,881,689 4/ 1959 Stevens 98-403,120,035 2/ 1964 Morris 49-77 3,145,642 8/1964 Radclitf 9840 XR FOREIGNPATENTS 718,400 11/1954 Great Britain.

FRED C. MATTERN, IR., Primary Examiner. M. ANTONAKAS, AssistantExaminer.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 98-121

